The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 323: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

$123 THER MYSTBRIBS OP CHEB COURT held a spectacle which suddenly transfixed him with mingled awe, wonderment, and horror. It was a much emaller room than that which had been fitted up for the tribunal: but the walls were likewise hung with black draperies. Upon a conch the corpse of Sagoonah was laid out. She seemed as if she were only sleeping—so serene was her aspect, and so completely was the freshness of the body preserved. There was in the atmosphere a perfume of drugs, which at once indicated the embalming process that had been adopted to en- sure that preservation. A cap of snowy whiteness completely concealed the dead ayah’s coal-black hair: her naked arms, stretohed at her sides—not stiffly, but in a life-like manner—had rich bracelets upon them. Very beautiful appeared that corpse, seeming as if the breath of life had only just peseed out of it, and as if it had been surrendered up without a struggle: for immediately after the cold hand of death had touched Sagoonab, her fea- tures had settled Zown into that serenity which they now wore. Indeed, sie looked not as if she were dead—but only sleeping after a severe indis- position which had spread an uniform pallor apon _ the natural duskiness of her complexion. Four wax candies, as tall as those tapers which are sesn on Catholic altars, shed their light upon the corpse, and prodaced that effulgence which streamed forth from the half-open door into the room fitted up as the tribunal. Powerful was the lustre, and evlemnly grand was the effoct thereof upon the body. It brought out the form of the dead Sagoonah into the strongest relief: it gave the animation of life to the ‘Slain; and it played upon her features as if they themselves were slightly moving with the presence of existence. Amidst all the wildest conjectures which the Duke of Marchmont might have hasarced relative to the contents of this room, no possible surmige could bave ied him to anticipate the spectacle whieh he thus beheld. As we have said, therefore, he stood trausfixed with mingled awe, wonderment, and horror: for it seemed as if death iteelf were now invoked to bear some kind of evidence against him. For upwards of a minute did Queen Indora suffer the scene to produce its fullest effect upon the prisoner; and then in a tone of authority she bede him advance further into the room. He obeyed her: she closed the door; and he was now alone with that royal l.dy and with the corpse of Sagoonehb. “ My lord,” said the Queen, in a voice that was low and most solemnly impressive, “ you are not altogether innocent in respect to the causes which led to the premature death of the hapless Sa- goonab. [ will not however deny that her mind was already m a morbid state when you employed the vile Frenchwoman to become her temptress, and instigate her to the foulest deeds. Had it not been for this conduct on your part, Sagoonsh might have lived. But step by step was she led on to that fearful climax which was the sccom- plishment of her doom. It was retribution that ehe met! The means which she had adopted to take my life at the instigation of your agent, be- came the source of her own death. The tragedy was a horrible one; and I do not hesitate to pru- elaim that Sagoonah was one of your victime. Oh ! if you hed never done aught but this, it were sufficient to fill your soul with a remoree that | lending, and she conducted hia intoa little room | ————————__——_ never in this life would be appeased! But greater still have been your crimes; and, asI ere now pro- claimed, this is the hour in which they are all to be made known. Prisoner, look upon that It is the corpse of her who in the madness of feel- ings and passions which [ sball not peuse to de- ecribe, gave up your own brother to the dungeon- cell which he now tenants.” “ My brother!” murmured the Duke of March. mont, staggering at the words, as if they touched a chord which vibrated most painfully to his heart's core. “ Yos—your brother !” continued Queen Indore and now she bent the look of an avenging Newesis upon the Duke of Marchmont. “Oh! think you that the proceedings of this night were ended when in the adjoining room I enumerated all your minor crimes,— crimes which though great in themselves, were nevertheless nothing to that which has yet to be proclaimed! And yet even that too was darkly hinted at—but not so darkly @at it failed to touch your conscience! Dv you not perceive that the finger of beaven has mani- fested itself in all the incidents and oceurrences which have been hurrying you on towards the catestrophe? By the agent of your own villany were you stricken down, 60 that in the first mo- ments of returning consciousness you might be- tray to that vile Frenchwoman—another agent of your iniquities—the tremendous secret which for nearly twenty years must have sat like a hideous nightmare upon your soul!” It would be impossible to describe the ghastlp horror which the countenance of the guilty March- mont displayed, while Queen Indora was thus ad- dressing him. He trembled from head to fuot with @ series of visible shudderings: the perspira- tion burst forth cold and clammy upon his brow: all bis features were convulsed: it seamed as if he were about to fall down and writhe in fearfullest agony like a stricken “But even without the testimony of thet Frenchwoman,” continued iandore, “ was there a suflicieney of accumulated proofs to brand you with the full etigma of your enormous guilt. Do you doubt me? No!—you cannot! step shall you pass through this ordeal, Cume with me.” The Queen drew aside the sable drapery at the end of the room facing the door by which she and the Duke had entered from the tribunal; and another door enabled them to emerge upun the landing. This Indora traversed,—still folluwed by the Duke, who mechanically dragged himself along, but in a state of mind that it were impus- sible to describe. If ever a man felt that bell might be foretasted upon earth, and that it was possible to pass through a series of worldly borrure sufficient to prepare the soul for the torments uf hereafter, —that man was the Duke of March mont. All his energies seemed now peralysed: he was obeying the Queen only as an automaton migh’ have acted: his faculties were growing so numbed under the influence of intensest, most harruwing horror, that had she, being immortal or invuiner- able, led the way into a flery furnace, that wretched man would perforce have unconssioudy and mechanically fullowed her. She opened a dour on the opposite side of the Yet step by . COMME HOG eng OF @ Vy @= —~ qe 0a tne EE en ee ee eee eae ceed a a ———— 7 erent geass ~~ we ov Qn =» ao —-]-—P uw Re. agm@er aap sm & +’ cS) (CO LS]